1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for dissipating heat; and more particularly to a spherical heat pipe with a plurality of enclosed heat transfer paths containing a fluid, such as water, for thermally coupling through an evaporation-condensation cycle, an apparatus or assembly to be cooled by the coolest of multiple heat sinks in a particular region.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is known in the art, a heat pipe is a device that can transport thermal energy very efficiently by relying on the evaporation, condensation and surface tension characteristics of the working fluid.The properly designed heat pipe is able to transfer several hundred times more heat per unit weight than is a solid thermal conductor of the same cross-sectional area. Briefly, it is a closed chamber lined with a pourous material or wick to provide a capillary structure. It contains a volatile fluid in sufficient quantity to saturate the porous lining or wick with little or no excess. The chamber may be of any shape. The operation of the heat pipe takes advantage of the latent heat of vaporization of the fluid. Heat applied to one portion of the wall evaporates the working fluid into the chamber. The vapor moves from the heated portion of the pipe to a cooler portion where it condenses to a liquid. The liquid is absorbed into the wick and, by capillary action, flows to the hot end of the chamber to replace the liquid being evaporated. Thus, the process is one of continuous pumping through a cycle of evaporation, liquid transport through the wick, and re-evaporation.
Previously, there have been a number of heat pipes for cooling mechanisms and apparatuses that have been developed. Those heat pipes have included pre-designed paths formed by evaporation-condensation cycles for transferring heat. None of the prior art appears to reflect a flexible, re-shapeable heat pipe nor to reflect an omni-directional heat transfer capability. In addition and while the aforementioned devices are in common usage, it has also been recognized that in certain instances, such as with layers of micro-electronic circuitry, the regions of high heat development or pinpoint hotspots contain limited and varied space for coolant devices.
Accordingly, in order to overcome the above set forth problem of space & pinpoint hotspots as in micro-electronic circuitry, there is a need for a simplified device which is structured to be versatile in its operation to the extent of being wedge-able into varied spaces & locations and capable of transferring heat in multiple directions away from potentially variable high heat sources.
In addition, prior problems of the prior art have included an inability to provide a heat pipe which could utilize alternative heat sinks, or if this problem was addressed, the solution was to provide only a limited switching capability by providing possibly a pair of heat pipes. A further limitation of these designs is that they do not usually involve the mixing of the fluid between alternative paths, so as to provide for channelling of portions of the heat to be transferred to multiple heat sinks.